USA, Switzerland provide medical equipment and supplies

The Government of Switzerland has provided support of various medical equipment and supplies to the Government of Nepal. At a brief ceremony held at the Tribhuvan International Airport this morning, the support materials were handed over to Hridayesh Tripathi, Minister for Health and Population by Elisabeth von Capeller, Ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister for Health and Population expressed gratitude to the Swiss Government and the friendly people of Switzerland for the generous support, which would be instrumental in saving lives and complementing the Government’s efforts for prevention and control of infections. He thanked the Swiss Embassy in Kathmandu for making efforts in the timely delivery of the support materials.

The support received today is in response to the request of the Government of Nepal to the Swiss Government for supporting Nepal with vaccines, medicines, equipment and supplies related to COVID-19.

The items arrived in a chartered flight arranged by the Swiss Government include 40 oxygen ventilators, 1,100,000 rapid antigen test kits, 10 oxygen concentrators, 1,000 nasal cannulas, respiratory masks, examination gloves and protective suits. Senior officials of the Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were also present on the occasion.

In response to the request of the Government of Nepal in the context of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, the Government of the United States of America has sent a cargo aircraft containing important medical supplies. The support materials--first of the three chartered aircrafts arriving within the next two days--were received by Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population Dr. Jageshwar Gautam from the officials of the Embassy of the United States of America and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Kathmandu this afternoon.

The materials handed over today include surgical masks, face shields, and gloves. This is in addition to the earlier support received from USAID including 100 units of ventilators, COVID-19 testing facilities and equipment, oxygen-related materials, personal protection equipment (PPEs) and other life-saving medical supplies. USAID is scheduled to hand over 1,000 oxygen cylinders to the Ministry of Health and Population tomorrow. The much-needed medical support has been instrumental in saving lives and complementing the national initiatives for treatment, prevention, and control of COVID-19.

The Government of Nepal expresses deep gratitude to the Government and friendly people of the United States of America for the solidarity extended to the people of Nepal, reflecting the longstanding bilateral relations marked by friendship and cooperation. The effort made by the United States Embassy and USAID in Kathmandu for the timely delivery of the support materials has been acknowledged with appreciation.